Industry mourns loss of ‘one of the greats of publishing’, Peter Usborne

Members of the trade have paid tribute to Peter Usborne CBE, founder of Usborne Press, who died aged 85 on 30th March, describing him as “a true innovator”, “one of the greats of publishing” and “a bit of a prophet".

Usborne, co-founder of the satirical magazine Private Eye, founded his publishing house in 1973 when he found out he was going to become a parent. In February 2023, he received a CBE from King Charles III at Windsor Castle, after he was awarded it by Queen Elizabeth II in the 2022 New Year’s Honours List.

Recognised for Services to Literature, the honour was made in the 50th anniversary year for Usborne. His CBE followed an MBE in 2011 for Services to the Publishing Industry and in 2015 he received the London Book Fair Lifetime Achievement Award.

In a statement, which can be read in full here, Nicola Usborne, managing director and Usborne’s daughter, said: “I am heartbroken that my beloved dad died this morning. We will miss him more than I can say. He was a brilliant, ever curious, ever enthusiastic man – who was also very kind, very generous and honourable and principled to his core. He was the best dad I could imagine."

Reacting to the news, Belinda Ioni Rasmussen, m.d. of Macmillan Children’s Books, said: “We are deeply saddened at Macmillan Children’s Books to hear of the passing of Peter Usborne. He has inspired us all in our careers. As a publishing leader and innovator, he built the pre-school segment of the children’s market by creating family-friendly, accessible books that understood the child reader. Thanks to him, we have a generation of lifelong readers out there who are now buying books as adults and continuing to share Usborne books with their families. What an incredible legacy he leaves behind."

Hilary Murray Hill, c.e.o. of Hachette Children’s Group said she was “sadder than I can express about Peter. Pretty much everything I think about books for children has been hugely influenced by the five years I spent working for him,” she said. “His whole approach to reading for children was imaginative, democratic and unsnobbish. Peter upheld the right of children to books which spoke directly to them when that thinking was not as widespread as it is now.”

She continued that Usborne Books at Home reached thousands of children and families who didn’t or couldn’t buy in bookshops and was “truly radical”, and “a very smart business move in terms of taking the brand absolutely everywhere.”

She added: “Peter was an innovator and a philanthropist, by any definition. The social good he achieved publishing books of lasting value is beyond challenge in my view. There will never be another person like him. He was a bit of a prophet, really, and utterly unique,” she said.

Francesca Dow, managing director of Penguin Random House Children’s, said it was “very sad news for children’s publishing”, describing Usborne as “someone I admired hugely – his curiosity, playfulness with ideas, ambition and business acumen.”

Dow told The Bookseller: “He had a genius for creating wonderful formats that could repeat and extend into collectible series. There are Usborne books in every home, school and library; there’s an Usborne book for every moment in a child’s life; and that’s a wonderful legacy. He always demonstrated an enviable open-mindedness and interest in the world of children’s books. I had the pleasure of flying home from Bologna with Peter on the same plane. He was an inspiration to the end.”

Helen Wicks, m.d. of the Children’s Trade Division at Bonnier Books UK, said everyone there sends their condolences to Usborne’s family, friends and colleagues at Usborne. “Peter was a true innovator and set an extremely high standard for children’s publishing. He’s inspired so many editors, authors, illustrators and all those who work in our industry. He will be sadly missed,” she said.

Shannon Cullen, group publishing director at Quarto Kids, said Usborne not only had “a huge impact on the children’s publishing world”,  but was “truly synonymous with everything from bestselling novelty to engaging non-fiction and award-winning fiction with a truly global outlook.”

Cullen added: “It’s a legacy that will live on in families around the world through Usborne’s continued success, and we send our condolences to Peter’s family.”

Helen Freeman, director of Oxford Children’s, recalls buying many Usborne books. She told The Bookseller: “As a parent, I bought a lot of Usborne books for my children and loved every single one of them. As a publisher, you cannot fail to be impressed, and sometimes envious, of what Peter Usborne created. He set the bar high by demonstrating how you can build a successful and ethical global business creating and selling brilliant books that positively affect readers. Peter also understood that your business will only ever be as good as your team and business culture. The children’s publishing industry is richer for Peter’s contribution to it and I’m grateful for the inspiration he provided.”

Kate Wilson, group c.e.o. of Nosy Crow, said: “Peter Usborne was, I think, the children’s publisher I most admired. I am shocked and saddened to hear of his death, and feel huge sympathy for his remarkable family. Entrepreneurial, energetic, clever, disruptive and endlessly curious, he engendered huge loyalty and built a brand that inspires trust and affection. This is a huge loss to all of us in the industry.”

Charlie Redmayne, c.e.o. of HarperCollins UK, said everyone at HarperCollins was “incredibly sad”, and recalled his first meeting with Usborne. “I first met Peter when I took over HarperCollins in 2013. I took him for lunch at the Caprice. He was there when I arrived, always punctual. I walked to the table and introduced myself ‘Now I’m not going to sell you my company,’ he said. ‘I haven’t asked to buy your company,’ I replied. ‘You will, they all do,’ he said with a knowing smile. He was of course right – what a wonderful man and a wonderful company he built.”

Redmayne went on: “The word great is often used too freely, but Peter was one of the greats of publishing,  and an exceptionally nice man with it. We will miss him and our thoughts are with his family, friends and colleagues, past and present.”